Casting a Critical Eye on Weapons Technology and Training

with Tom Marx

Designed for the SWAT operator: New gear from BLACKHAWK!

The BLACKHAWK! Knoxx SpecOps Gen II Stock is of a polymer and alloy construction

When BLACKHAWK! acquired the Knoxx line of recoil-reducing stocks, I was their Director of Intellectual Properties. So I got to examine their samples, their patents, and their reason for being. Having been a cop, a competitive shooter and a mechanical engineer, I was pretty amazed. So were a number of gun companies who were buying the stocks on an OEM basis and selling their guns to departments (and individuals) across the country with them already attached.

Gary Cauble worked for Knoxx and came to BLACKHAWK! as a part of the acquisition — he has been driving the concept further along ever since. He is a stand-up guy who is always trying to do the right thing in terms of design and performance. And I think he has done just that with the new BLACKHAWK! Knoxx SpecOps Gen II Stock for (among others) the Remington 870 shotgun.

BLACKHAWK! Knoxx SpecOps Gen II StockCauble recently showed me where things have gone with this revised design and I can tell you that it is light years beyond the previous version. The BLACKHAWK! Knoxx SpecOps Gen II Stock is of a polymer and alloy construction. Of special interest here is the ergonomic pistol grip for it is not only well shaped to start with but it features a series of interchangeable rubber inserts that not only provide a great tactile “feel” but also allow the user to change its girth as necessary. The user can also change the stock’s length of pull from 11¼” to 15” in order to accommodate their body type and whatever clothing their job role might require through the use of its seven-position adjustments.

The BLACKHAWK! Knoxx SpecOps Gen II Stock is of a polymer and alloy construction. (PoliceOne Image)

All of this almost overshadows the fact that the real benefit of the BLACKHAWK! Knoxx SpecOps Gen II Stock is its unique recoil compensation system, which is said to reduce the effects of a 12ga firing by as much as 85%. The new stock also features a single point sling plate installed behind and alongside the receiver, a quick detachable swivel stud at the rear of the stock and a padded butt plate. Suggested Retail for the BLACKHAWK! Knoxx SpecOps Gen II Stock and matching forend is $134.95 in black.

Dynamic Performance from Dynamic EntryFor a long time now, Marty Wozniac has not only set the standard for Entry Tools but also for the way they are carried into the field. It’s one thing to make devices to open doors, locks and chains (a lot of people attempt to do that) but it’s quite another to get those lifesaving pieces of equipment to where they are needed the most.

His full-size but packable military and police tool sets eliminated the problems of units in the field scrambling around to find the right tool for the right job and usually coming up with nothing instead. So now he and his crew at BLACKHAWK!’s Dynamic Entry division have turned their attention to the average officer who might find themselves thrust into the role of a “First Responder” and face the same problems of equipment availability as their tactical brethren. What they have come up with is a scaled down, 3-tool “kit” that can be stuck in anybody’s squad car, carried by hand or slung over either shoulder upon exit and even fastened to the leg for stability.

The BLACKHAWK! Dynamic Entry Mini Deployment Kit contains smaller and redesigned versions of their Breacher, ThunderSledge, and BoltMaster. All of which are just as helpful as their full size counterparts but take up little room in their specially designed Deployment Bag. Better yet, they make no noise while being carried to the scene for the Bag is not only compartmentalized, but done so in a way that the tools within it will not bang or clang their way into the “offender’s” ears.

This set is so easy to carry around that it should appeal to people for reasons far beyond “first responding.” It should also find a home with people like my friends back home in Chicago, who, like me many years ago, often found ourselves in need of something more than just a foot on the door when answering a call in the case of fires and other emergencies. I can’t tell you how great I thought this set was.

About the author

Tom Marx left the Chicago Police Department in 1988 to become an instructor at the Smith & Wesson Academy. After several years of teaching full time both nationally and internationally, he shifted roles at Smith: first to a series of technical positions and then as Head of their Domestic Law Enforcement Operations. He left S&W to organize a Law Enforcement Division for Michaels of Oregon as well as to help design much of their police-related duty gear. Leaving Uncle Mike’s, Tom became Director of Intellectual Property for BLACKHAWK Products Group; focusing on the patent efforts for all of their divisions. Today, he is a consultant in various firearms, accessory and training matters. Throughout the years, Tom has continued to lecture and instruct both inside and outside the US with such diverse groups as ILEETA, IALEFI, WIFLE, LETC, NDIA, the NRA, and Team One Network. .